It has long been desired to be able to see extended or distant outside areas from within a building or dwelling. In the past these views have best been achieved from atop or on the roof of the building or house. For example, many coastal homes were constructed during the early sailing or seafaring era with roof mounted or raised platforms or balconies (“widow walks”) whereby distant views of the ocean and ships thereon or surrounding areas could be achieved. These roof-mounted platforms, however, are expensive to build and are difficult to reach due to their location on the roof of the house. Further, their viewing advantage was limited to the height of the roof and they were usable only in calm, dry weather.
The desire to see or view the outside areas is more understandable, and even vital, from within a building, and particularly a dwelling, such as a house, apartment, cabin, cottage, and the like, which is located in a coastal area subject or prone to hurricanes, storms, tornadoes, flooding, etc. For instance, the Southern States of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas are routinely hit by severe storms and high-category hurricanes every year. The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina last year is a constant reminder of the power of these types of hurricanes. Likewise, several Central States are routinely the subject of tornadoes. In fact, the central part of the United States is traditionally known as “Tornado Alley”, which includes Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.
Under severe adverse conditions, and particularly, in the early stages of weather forecast, it is common for residents and businesses to board-up the windows and take cover inside their dwellings until conditions improve or are better, or it is safe to go outside. Due to the uncertainty and depending on the severity of the adverse weather conditions, residents are frequently confined to the inside of their dwellings for long hours, and even days. It is also not uncommon to be without power, electricity, or even telephone service, while staying inside for extended periods of time. With almost zero or very little communication with the outside world, combined with the unpredictability and uncertainty of the severe weather conditions, the desire and necessity to learn more about the outside conditions can grow by the minute. In these situations, or perhaps where it is plainly not safe to venture outside, it would be highly desirable to have a mechanism, such as a periscope, to view the external conditions without having to actually step outside.
The prior art shows examples of periscopes in children's toy apparatus. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,916,097 discloses a child's play apparatus, which may include, but does not show, a periscope near the top thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,824 discloses a tent with a periscope. U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,951 discloses a shock shielding structure, which may include a periscope for exterior viewing in case of attack or war. Other U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,298,333; 1,341,683; 2,423,267; 4,462,684; 4,701,602; 4,818,232; 4,918,881; 5,485,306; and 6,174,242 disclose various periscopes, telescopes, etc. However, none of these patents relate to permanent dwelling structures or buildings or to such structures with a periscope for exterior viewing.